DOT-7 to make Cebu a top place for shopping

The Department of Tourism in Central Visayas will tap the local retailers’ help to attract more foreign tourists by positioning Cebu as one of the premier shopping destinations in the country.

This move would be in line with the Department of Tourism’s goal to hit the 10 million foreign tourists target by 2016, said Tourism Regional Director Rowena Montecillo.

“With Cebu’s international airport that catered to several direct flights from other countries and the strong presence of traders and retailers, the province had the prerequisites of becoming a premier shopping destination like Singapore,” said Montecillo.

“We have been talking with the Philippine Retailers Association Cebu Chapter chairman Melanie Ng to work on this new project as partners and we have been getting a positive response from them,” said Montecillo.

After the initial meetings with Montecillo, the local retailers planned to hold an event called the “Cebu Shopping Festival,” which could run for a whole month with weekly themes.

Montecillo said each retailer would be grouped according to their products and would set specific weeks for them to display these within the month-long festival.

“We are looking at starting this right always and do it annually patterned after the very famous ‘Great Singapore Sale,’” said Montecillo.

As of first quarter this year, the foreign tourists visiting the province has reached 400,000, which is a 17 percent increase from that of the same period last year.

“Central Visayas’ share is at 25 percent, which means we are a major destination, a major product for our national tourism. Having the  ‘Cebu Shopping Festival’ will have a great impact to our local and national tourism,” said Montecillo.

As a world-renowed destination for our beautiful beach resorts, Montecillo said the festival would add attraction to Cebu as it would complement the image of Cebu as a “lifestyle destination.”

“This will complete Cebu’s proposition as an ultimate ‘lifestyle’ destination,” said Montecillo.

Montecillo and PRA officials will meet again to finalize plans for the shopping festival.

However, this June, the PRA Cebu Chapter will hold its annual Regional Retail Conference and Expo.

The retailers’ group promises a bigger exposition as it prepares for the planned retailers festival.

According to the event planning chairperson Lilibeth Ducut-Abais of L.A. Ducut, Cebu has a big  potential of becoming a major shopping destination in the world.

“This expo will prepare them (the retailers) to the big challenge that they will be embarking on soon once this partnership with DOT materializes,” said Ducut.